Ignition system



Aug. 2s, 1.923. 1,466,209

H. w. ElcHBAuM IGNITION SYSTEM A original Filed'sept. 1s, 1919 Pmnadnug.2s, 1923.

, and useful Improvement in Ignition tion.

f UNITED ASTATES 1,466,209 PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN W. EICHBAUM, OF VENICE, CALIFORNIA.

IGNITION SYSTEM. i

Continuation of application Serial No. 323,979, led September 15, 1919.This application led September 18, 1920. Serial No. 411,237.

.To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HERMAN W. EICH- BAUM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Venice, county of Los Angeles, and State ofCalifornia, have invented .a iew LYS- tems, of which the following is aspefciica- My invention relates to ignition systems ised with internalcombustionengines and the principal object of the invention is toprovide a system which will be much simpler and surer in operation thanany of the present forms.

, V.19t further object of the invention is to @provide a system in whichthe engine will Aoperate. in case there are foul or defective sparkplugs. Y,

QA' further object o the invention is to provide a device in which theintensity of the spark will begreatly increased over the present forms.K

still further object of the invention is to utilize'oscillatingdischarges.

Referring -to tliedrawing which is a dia grammatic representation of thesystem, I provide a battery 1, avibrator 2, a transformer havinga primarwinding 3, and a vsecondary winding 4. onnected across the winding 4 bymeans of wires 5 and 6 is an adjustableixed gap 7 which may be varied byadjustingr one of the screws 8 thereof. One terminal of the secondaryWire 4 is connected through a wire 9 with the grounded shells 10 of aseries of spark plugs having insulation 11, the wire 9fbeing connectedto the'ground through l'wire 12.

When used on ania tomobile, the secondg 4 is gr n ded directly to the Ae engine, the spark plugs being so cons cted that one side thereof isgrounded on the engine. The other terminalof the secondary wire 4 iscor'mected'l two contacts are exactly in line andA increases anddiminishes from this minimum as the contact rotates.

It is sometimes necessary to provide a condenser 19 connected directly'across the fixed gap 7, but when installed on an automobile, theinsulated wiring in combination with the metal parts of the automobilewhich form a part 'of the circuit provide considerable capacitance whichassists in producing the oscillating discharge, hereinafter referred to.I

As used on a standard automobile, the parts are of such size that thedistance between the contacts 14 and 16 is somewhat less than one-halfthe sparking distance on the plugs 18 and the gap 7 is about five timesthis sparking distance. c

The method of operation of my invention is as follows:

The potential induced in the secondary 4 charges the condenser 19. Thegap 7 is so set that before this potential reaches the highest valuewhich it would attain were the gap 7 not present, the air in the gap 7breaks down and a discharge takes place thereacross. The condenserdischarges and an oscillating discharge takes place. This discharge isfirst across the gap 7 As the gap tween the sparking points of the sparkplug connected to said contact 16. As the contact 14 closely approachesthe contact 16, the os-v cillating discharge at the gap 7 will entirelystop for an instant. The sparking at spark plugs 18 continues until thecontact 14 passes the contact 16k and increases to a value such that theresistance of the gap between the contacts 14 and 16 plus the resistanceacross -the sparking terminals of lthe plug 18 is greater than theresistance of the gap 7, when the spark at the spark plug 18 ceases.

As above described, the firing of the spark plugs is regulated by themoving contactv of the distributor 14, discharges taking place from,this moving contact to eachf of the 'fixed contacts in regularsequence. The

time, of this discharge is determined by the fixed gap 7. In practice,the fixed gap 7 is set so that it will discharge during the time thatthe contact 14 is passing betweenV the contacts 16 and until the contact14 is very nearly on thesame radial line as the contact 16, or may bemade to operate continuously by enlarging the minimum distance betweenpoints 14 and 16. By introducing the xed gap 7 and the condenser 19, Iam able to produce a highly eicient oscillating discharge. By the use ofthe variable moving gap between the contacts 14 and the contact 16, I amable to introduce an auxiliary gap in series with the spark plug. In theevent that the spark plug becomes fouled, or the insulation becomesdefective, the oscillating `discharge owing to its peculiar action Willjump at the points in preference to shunting through the carbon and oilof the fouled plug. 4

This application is a continuation of my application No. 323,979 ledSeptember 15,

I claim as my invention:

1. An ignition systemy for internal' combustion engines comprising aninduction coil; means for inducing a high potential in lthe secondary ofsaid coil; a series of points each point connected to one of thers arkplugs of the engine; a rotating shaft insulated from the frame of theengine having pro'ections so placed as to come successively Wit insparkin distance of said points; means for driving said rotating shaftin synchronism With the engine; a fixed gap having its terminalsconnected to the said shaft and the frame of the engine, said xed gapbeing so set that an oscillating discharge takes place across said fixedgap in the normal operation of the engine, during the entire time theengine is running except for very short intervals during which saidprojections are Within sparking distance of said points; and means forconnecting one side of saidsecondary to the frame of the engine and theother side to said shaft.

2.` An ignition system for internal combustion engines comprising aninduction coil; means for inducing .a high potential in the secondary ofsaid coil; a series of points each point connected to one of the sparkplugs of the engine; a rotating shaft insulated from the frame of theengine having projections so placed as to come successively within sarking distance of said points ;.means for riving said rotating shaft insynehronism with the engine; means for shifting said points about saidshaft to vary the timing of'said engine; a fixed gap having itsterminals connected to the said shaft and the frame of the engine, saidxed gap being so set that an oscillating discharge v impressing thevoltage of said battery on the primary Winding of said induction coil toproduce a high potential in the secondary of said coil; a series ofpoints each point connected to one of the spark plugs of the engine; arotating shaft insulated from the frame of the engine having projectionsso placed as to come successivelyvvithin sparking distance of saidpoints; means for driving said rotating-.shaft in synclironism with theengine; a fixed gap having its terminals connected to the said shaft andthe frame of the engine, said fixed gap being so set that an oscillatingdischarge takes place across said fixed gap in the normal operation ofthe engine, during the entire time the engine is runningexcept for veryshort intervals during which said projections are Within sparkingdistance of said points; and means for connecting one side of saidsecondary to the frame of the engine-and the other side yto said shaft.

4. An ignition system for internal combustion engines comprising aninduction coil; means for inducing a high potential in the secondry ofsaid coil; a series of points each point connected to one of the sparkplugs of the engine; a rotating shaft insulated from the frame of theengine having projections so placed as to come successively Withinsparking distance of said points; means for driving said rotating shaftin synchronism with the engine; a fixed'gap having its terminalsconnected to the said shaft and the frame of the engine, said fixed gapbeing so set that an oscillating discharge takes place across said fixedgap in the normal operation of the engine, during the entire time theengine is running except for very short intervals during Whichsaidprojections are Within sparking distance of said points; and means forconnecting one side of said secondar to the frame of the engine andthe,.,other si e to said shaft.

In testimony whereof. I have/hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 13th day of September, 1920.

HERMAN vv. EICHBAUM.

